Looking for a boat in the 22-23 foot range that does well in rough water? My criterial is that it boards/surfs well and the wife wants a boat that does well in the chop? My X-1 does not fit the bill! Ready for a upgrade.

our MB twb 23 will cut through stuff that I would've needed a kidney belt for on our 06 malibu vride. The downside being that my wife doesn't notice when she starts pulling through rougher water. So with the handle in my hand I've been taken for a ride a couple of times!

The tiges do GREAT in rough water. Really solid feel over the rollers . Double ups are no problem. MC x25 is damn good too but be prepared for all that aluminum trim to rattle and creak along with the tower. G23 felt pretty good over its own wake as well but not quite so as the 25 and tiges I've been in.

Just look at the transom. If it's a deep V, it'll likely be a good rough water boat. Jasin's list is all deep V boats. Most of the Tiges are deep V too. It's also the key to powerful surf waves, but makes for a steeper wakeboard wake.

Bigger boats are better in rough water than smaller boats with similar hulls. As mentioned above deeper V's are better in rougher water. They also tend to be good for wake surf. The V should go right to the transom. That's called the deadrise measurement. The hull also has to be solid to feel comfortable in chop and bigger water.
All the Sangers are good in rough water but the bigger and higher freeboard s are better so the V237 would be the best.
Centurians with a deep V are good so the Avalanche and Enzo would be choices.
Supreme V226 has a deep V but most are quite flat.
Tige boats are pretty solid and some say they are great buy I have not ridden in one that was better than my Sanger. I have not been in the latest models.
I have not been in a Mastercraft or Nautique that was great but I have not ridden the newest models. Start by looking at the deadrise.

You need to determine what you mean by 'rough' water. Offshore is a lot different that a lake. A busy lake is different than a big lake that gets rough. I've been driving in 5' waves but some feel 1' is rough. Also, don't take my word, or anyone else as gospel. Nobody has experience in all boats or conditions.

Living in an area where 17 - 22mph wind is common and 12mph is considered "excellent", selecting a boat that does well in rough water was high on my list of priorities. Our Supreme V232 is exceptional. Can't recommend it highly enough!

I have owned two X25s and didn't have any problems with the tower rattling.... I had a ZFT3 and a ZFT5. Maybe the ZFT2 rattles because of the little aluminum inserts???

I have had a horrible experience with an x25 which has the zft3, and great with 2 so maybe it's not true of all of them but..

Zft3 is HORRIFIC in terms of rattles and Shakes, the zft4 is miles ahead, the aluminum door, glove box, and dash components produce a rattles and shakes to make a man cringe. But the ride is quite good I won't dispute that, just prepared for it to sound brutal. Also the gas shocks are too strong and If you hit a good enough roller the seats will pop up hahaha.
And yes the handling does leave something to be desired. But still a great boat with great rough water ride, just be prepared, it may sound a lot worse...

Thanks for the info! I have been looking real hard at the Tiges 22 and MBs 23 tomcat. I'm familiar with MB. I know Tiges surf well but not filmilar with there wake board wake. So for rough water it sounds like from this post that both those boats would keep the wife Happy!

Living in an area where 17 - 22mph wind is common and 12mph is considered "excellent", selecting a boat that does well in rough water was high on my list of priorities. Our Supreme V232 is exceptional. Can't recommend it highly enough!

My priority would be to find better water! That would suck and I wouldn't ever want to board in crap like that! Who cares how your boat rides in it! You ain't wakeboarding anyway!

As someone else mentioned just look for a boat with a deeper V all the way to transom. Also a trim tab would be a plus as it would help keep the bow from bouncing and the steepest part of the Deadrise cutting through the waves. Some of the boats that seem to fit the bill that have both good wakeboard and surf wakes:

Any of the newer MBs
Pretty much any newer Tige
Most all centurions all though I never here anyone mention wakeboard wake with the enzo's. The avy has a good stock wake it sounds like but can be finicky.
The Supreme V226 has a really deep V and surfs well it sounds like. Never heard anybody mention wakeboard wake.
The Sanger V237 would be a nice setup for surfing, wakeboarding and rough water ride.
Mastercraft X25 has a deep V. Not sure on the other models.

As for most malibu, Axis, Moomba, Supra, Nautique and Mastercraft's I am not sure they are quite as good just based on hull shape. Almost all of those have flatter hulls towards the rear of the boat. Some will be ok just from a size and weight standpoint. Also a boat like the moomba's and supra's should be ok even though they have a flatter rear section of hull because they have a deep V at the front and the trim tab. If you keep the trim tab all the way down it should keep the bow down and cutting through the waves.

Someone else mentioned it but I think all these newer boats are better than the old boats for rough water ride. I would find the boat that you like the best that will produce the wakes you want it to. Then I would move to the rough water ride aspect. Also, every wakeboat on the market right now will ride better in chop than your X1. The X1 has just about the flattest hull of any vdrive wakeboat in the history of wake boats.

Thanks Brett, Ya when my wife wants to cruise lake Washington I leave my boards at home and go out and get the hell beat out of us unless its early enough or winter time. At the time (2006) I bought the x-1 because it fit in the garage and I was still waterskiing yet I wanted to try wake boarding. The boat fit the bill at the time. Now I just want to wake board and surf and we all know the X-1 although doable it sucks at surfing. My other dilemma is finding a boat for surf/ board with a ok stock wake. When I ride with friends for a few hours I don't mind taking the time to add the extra ballast. When I'm with the wife who likes to drive the boat but does not ride, along with my daughters who don't surf it is a pain to add extra ballets on top of the stock for one rider and then empty. Sounds like a need to start a new tread?

Ride Comfort - Centurion is well known for their exceptional ride quality do to their Deep-V hull design. Most inboard manufacturers have a great deal of deadrise at the bow of the boat which is a good start when considering ride comfort. Centurion carries their Deep-V clear to the transom (rear) of the boat with the greatest degree of deadrise (degree of angle where the hull enters the water)in the industry. Centurion also utilizes unibody construction and adds strength and rigidity to the keel of the boat with their "cooler". In actuality the cooler is their for one other reason, to tie both the port and starboard sides of the boat together creating a much stronger boat and more comfortable ride in rough water.

Wakeboard wake - The FX22 has some differences in it's Enzo hull vs. the SS210, SS230, SV233, SV244, or FX44. Their are some different placements of strakes and the way the water flows off the transom of the boat. Adam Fields recently joined Centurions team for this boat specifically and this is the boat Ricky G now rides. Previously he was partial to the SV211

Surf Wake - The surf wake behind any of the Enzo model Centurion boats are going to throw a better surf wake all day every day out of the box then any other manufacturer out there period. Centurion began development of the first true SURF SPECIFIC hull in the late 90's early 2000's and the Enzo hull was unveiled in 2002 as what was then already and continues to be the standard for wakesurf enthusiasts. Due to the Deep-V hull I have already discussed, the all new CATS (Centurion Articulating Tracking System), and RAMFILL (3600 lbs. of in floor ballast filled/emptied in 29 seconds or less). and Assymetrical Wing Plate (trim tab) this boat allows for the most adjustable wakeboard/wakesurf wake in the industry. I highly encourage you to take the time to demo one.

Look for a V hull that runs all the way through the stern. If at the transom the running surface flattens out you will have a rougher ride. Centurion, Supreme are two boats that fit your build. Definitely drive any boat you are looking at back through its own wake at speeds and determine for your self!

As a Tige owner, I'm pretty partial to them. I've got a RZ4 that handles the chop better than any boat I've ever owned. I did test drive the RZ2, Z1, and Z3 as well, and all of them handled the rough water outstanding. When we did our demo ride, the salesman made about 4 loops to really get the water rolling hard and then cut straight through the middle of 3'+ rollers like it was nothing. No porpoising, bow hop, or any slamming down. It just cut through it like a knife. That impressed the hell out of me.

I also test drove an Axis A22 and A24 as well, and it had a good wake and great price, but didn't impress me nearly as much since it seemed to hop quite a bit. Also test drove a Moomba Mojo and it rode decent, but not as good as I would've liked and I didn't like the wake as much.

None of these boats could touch the way the Tiges handled the chop, and Tige was head and shoulders above in handling and surf wave IMO. I will admit that Tige's wakeboard wake isn't as great as some out there (stock), but it's more than enough for my (and my friends) skill levels. It's got a pretty good ramp with a nice solid lip, and pretty decent size even on stock ballast.